baltodave

Jason- A great post! You really hit the nails on the head (and I purposely wrote "nails"). Some things I would add to your discussion about whether the ships themselves or the ports are the destinations: There's a population of cruisers who like the "classic" cruise experience and don't want a floating theme park. Also, I've heard more than one RC employee refer to the Baltimore embarkation port as the "Royal ATM" since it generates so much cash (it's in the perfect location for cruisers that don't want to fly). I think the same can be said about Tampa. I, too, hope Project Discovery comes to fruition and hope that RC doesn't turn it's back on the mid-Atlantic.

Hi All, We've been using the great Michelle Cunningham of MEI. Well, we just got an email from MEI announcing that she is retiring and the TA we are being assigned to is Jenn Greene. Just wanted to let everyone know in case you've been working with Michelle.

Hi Everyone, We are 3 couples (6 adults/no children) taking a cruise out of Galveston in the Fall. We are flying to Hobby either one or two days before the cruise. If fly in 2 days prior to embarkation, we’ll probably spend the day at the Johnson Space Center. In either case, we’ll likely stay in a hotel near Hobby (as opposed to a Galveston hotel). With 6 adults all with luggage, what is everyone’s recommendation for traveling from the Hobby area to the cruise port in Galveston on embarkation day? Also, we’ll want to return to Hobby post-cruise. Thanks!

That’s a pretty ignorant thing to say. All they needed to do is check a calendar or Google. Also, I’m sure there are some Jewish employees they can check with.

I understand that but it shows a complete disrespect and ignorance. Quick story: I used to work for a major manufacturer and whenever the national sales training manager scheduled anything, she consulted with me first

Off topic but if your Odyssey Med cruise is the eastern med (Greece, Montenegro, Croatia), we did a similar itinerary on Rhapsody a couple years ago and it was wonderful. We also sailed on Odyssey out of Florida last year and she's a great ship.

I am very disappointed in Royal Caribbean for scheduling the President's Cruise 2025 on Rosh Hashanah.

I just clicked the link in the article but it's not applying the 20% discount. I'm logged in (and I'm Diamond). Did this promo end?

I hope it will be able to fit under the bridges in Tampa and Baltimore (Voyager class ships do not).

Has the itinerary been changed? And I was wondering what people would do all day in NOLA who had to check out of hotels. Can they store luggage at the port?

It will be interesting to see what RC does for the people disembarking late and for those embarking late.

"You can't please all the people all the time" How do you explain that RCL's stock price is around $200, the ships are full and prices are up?

RCL is pricier than CCL but not by that much. CCL's PE is 18.2 while RCL's PE is 21.8.

(I just wrote this you Youtube) I wonder how this will affect Maya Chan.

On smaller ships with less outlets, it's a good idea to bring a European adapter. But it's a good idea to understand the difference between an "adapter" and a "converter". Adapters are cheaper and simply allow a US-style plug. That being said, European outlets put out 220-240 volts. US outlets put out 100-127 volts. Make sure whatever you plug into the European adapter can handle both. In my case, my USB hub handles both. A long time ago, when I wore contact lenses, they had to be soaked in a warmer overnight. I didn't realize the difference and the lenses were brown the next morning! Lesson learned! Converters are more expensive and convert the voltage from European (220-240) to US (usually 110).